Weathering the Storm
by Shelly LeBlanc
Summary: They've all had storms they had to pass through in their lives, but Mikey is just about to find out how rocky this one is. Gift fic for turtle-sketches on Tumblr.


TITLE: Weathering the Storm  
FANDOM: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ( turtle-sketches's verse)  
MAIN CHARACTERS: Michelangelo and Donatello  
GENRE: Hurt/Comfort and Family  
WORD COUNT: 4825  
RATING: PG?  
SUMMARY: They've all had storms they had to pass through in their lives, but Mikey is just about to find out how rocky this one is.  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a gift fic/motivation bribing story for turtle-sketches, who's comics and drawings just give me life. Seriously, you need to see their drawings and the story lines. It's fantastic. I borrowed the turtles from her universe so all of the mentioned characters, such as May, Mabel, and Bonnie, all belong to turtle-sketches. She wanted some Mikey and Donnie bonding and until I started writing, I didn't know how much I needed it too. :D Enjoy! Beta'd by turtle-sketches. EDIT: 6/28, I just realized that the documented had shown all the errors plus the edits. I've fixed this.

-o-

The week had started off pleasant. It was their yearly trip to the farmhouse, which Casey graciously let them borrow even though he and April weren't coming that year. In fact, this trip was considerately lighter than years past. Splinter had decided he wanted to stay home this spring, and enjoy the quiet of the lair while his sons were gone. Of course, nobody dared mentioned that a certain lady friend had started coming by more and more. They just smiled brightly.

May wanted to spend some mommy-daughter time with Mabel before the new baby was born and Bonnie had already made plans with some of her friends, so Leo decided that they would make it a retreat for just the four brothers, away from the distractions of the city and the harsh winter they had experienced. Their leader had made side-eyes at Donnie when he said this, who was too preoccupied with packing to notice. Mikey had to admit, Donnie had seemed a little down lately, but refused to tell him what the matter was. It was the only reason he didn't baulk at the thought of a whole week away from his girls. Maybe this trip would bring Donnie back to his old self, or at very least, enlighten Mikey to why his brother was acting so strange.

So they had been whisked away to North Hampton and all the fresh outdoor air they could stand. They had only been there two days, but Don's eyes started sparkling again and he smiled more easily. He had spent most of his time outside, either swimming in the pond or basking beside it. He had brought some things to work on, but they had been deposited in barn and hardly touched.

Leo certainly seemed happy about this, because he had let up his mother-hen act enough to leave both Donnie and Mikey alone at the farmhouse while he and Raph did some training in the woods. They were supposed to be gone overnight and back around sundown the next day.

The night they left had been a quiet and clear one, but the morning after had dawned a dreary day. The sky was overcast and it smelled of rain, though nothing had started to fall yet. Don had worked in the barn that morning but came in at noon and never left. He joined Mikey in the kitchen, who was planning a large meal for when their brothers returned. He was helping by cutting up vegetables and cleaning dishes as Mikey was finishing with them. They made some small talk, keeping the conversation light. Despite Don's brightened disposition, Mikey knew well enough that Don only talked when he was ready. It would do no one any good if he tried to pry out whatever's been bothering him, even when he had a smile on his face. For a usually laidback guy, Donnie could be quite stubborn.

So they were having a nice time, talking and cooking, when the first clap of thunder caused them to pause. Mikey sensed more than saw Donnie tense up, and turned to see him looking nervously out the window. He followed suit, confused by his brother's sudden paleness, and noticed how dark it had become outside.

"Oh, hey," Mikey said, staring at the gloomy clouds. "It's getting dark. The guys should be here soon."

Donnie was already shaking his head in the negative and moved away from the window, pulling open kitchen drawers. Mikey followed, frowning in confusion.

"What?"

Don pulled out a wind-up radio, something Mikey distinctively remembered Donnie fixing the last time they had been here.

"It's only four-thirty," Donnie said, his voice sounding strange. "The sun sets at seven-fifteen today. They won't be heading back yet."

The orange-banded turtle didn't even bother asking how he knew about sunset timetables, he just followed Donnie, who was on the move again, this time with the radio in hand and winding it up. They moved into the living room, where the genius turtle placed it on the coffee table and started tuning it. Mikey waited a few moments, listening to the mixture of static and country songs start pouring from the tiny speakers, but he quickly grew restless.

"What's the big deal, Donnie?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips. "It's just a storm."

"I don't think it's just any storm, Mikey," Donnie murmured, his gaze focused on the radio dial. "The clouds are dark, almost black. And there is a hint of green." He jumped again, when another clap of thunder resounded, much louder than the one before, and he quickly tried the radio again. "If it is what I think it is…"

"What do you think it is?" Mikey asked, feeling a panic of the unknown start to bubble in his chest. He wasn't accustomed to seeing his brother anything but level-headed, and there was a slight manic look to him at the moment.

Don opened his mouth to answer but his quick and nimble fingers finally found the right station and the radio belted out the response he was looking for.

"-ional weather service has issued a tornado warning for the following counties;" said the monotone voice of the national warning system, "Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan, Ulst-"

The rest of the words were cut off by another resounding boom of thunder and Donatello leaped off of the couch and ran back into the kitchen.

"Wait!" Mikey cried out, not having time to follow him before Donnie came running right back out with a flashlight. "Aren't we in Orange County?"

"Yes!" Don stated, tossing the flashlight at Mikey, who fumbled it slightly before securing it in his grasp. Don went back to the radio and picked it up, looking at it like it held all the answers he needed to fix this problem.

"So what does that mean?" Mikey could feel the panic start to rise higher. They never had tornadoes in the city, never mind the fact that they lived deep underground anyway, well away from torrential winds and the worst of the danger. He had no idea what they needed to do.

"We need to try and close all the shutters, protect the windows so they don't break." Don was still holding the radio protectively, but started to move towards the windows. His voice was strangely droned, just like the guy from the warning system. "Then we will probably need to get to the basement, it serves as a storm shelter."

"But what about Leo and Raph?" Mikey asked, regretting it instantly, because Donnie's face paled further and his expression showed his fear and indecision.

"Oh, geeze," Donnie whispered, his shoulders sinking. He turned back towards the window facing the tree line and stared hard at it, as if willing his brothers to appear.

"Can we call them?" Mike asked, trying to be helpful.

"No," Don said, not turning his head. "We only have the one phone, remember? Leo insisted we leave the rest behind. Less distractions, he said…"

"So, let's go out and look for them!" Mikey wasn't about to stay safe inside while his brothers were out in the storm. He saw that Donnie wanted to argue, but his worry for Raph and Leo battled with his good sense and Mikey could tell that despite how logical his brainy brother was, his love and care for his family would always win out. He saw the resolution start to form on Don's face, but before he could verbalize his decision, a siren sounded in the distance from the town, cutting off their choices. Even Mikey knew what that meant.

"Basement!" Donnie cried out, grabbing Mikey's wrist with his free hand as he flew out of the house, dragging his brother with him. They paused only momentarily to assess the situation. The sky was unbelievably dark and the clouds were churning. The wind was blowing hard, making their masks whip around their heads, but no tornado was in sight. That didn't seem to matter at the moment for Donnie, who quickly strode to the cellar doors that led to the basement. He let go of Mikey briefly to wrench the doors open. He then pushed his brother forward, who wasted no time in complying; Mikey jumped down the stairs and landed gracefully at the bottom. He turned and watched Don come down and close the doors after himself, placing the wooden bar to lock it in place. It made a surprisingly loud 'thunk' despite the increasing volume of the storm outside.

Mikey turned on the flashlight and looked around before moving to the center of the room. He pulled the little chain hanging from the ceiling and the single florescent bulb lit up, casting a warm but slightly weak glow in the room. He had only been in the basement a few times to explore or to get something when requested. It was his mentality that if they were out there to get away from the sewers a bit, it made no sense to him to return underground. It was dusty but otherwise clean. The boxes that had been haphazardly piling up in the room the last time he was here were cleared out or placed neatly against the wall. All old, unusable tools were neatly shelved, and there were barely any cobwebs, which told Mikey that the last time they visited, Leo had decided to take out whatever aggressions he had on the room.

He realized he had been standing and staring out into the room for over a minute, so when he turned to look at Donnie, he was surprised to see him still on the stairs with his face pressed up against the doors.

"Donnie?" Mikey asked, his stomach tightening at the sight he was seeing. Donnie didn't answer; he kept his back to him and his grip on the plank of wood he had used to lock them in. Mikey quickly went to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was only then did he realize that Donnie was shaking.

"Donnie? What is it?" When he again didn't receive an answer, Mikey turned his brother towards him so he could get a look at his face. Don's eyes were wide and his pupils were dilated, his breathing was shallow and fast, and sweat had started to appear on his skin.

Donatello was terrified.

He had seen his brother scared before. There had been plenty of situations where it was called for, but this was different. It was as if he was scared beyond movement, beyond speech. He had never before seen his brother so crippled from fright. It made fear swell up within him which he tried to squash as he started to pull at his brother's stiff form.

"Donnie, let's get away from the door, okay?" he said firmly, and was relieved that Donnie was compliant and moved easily, if a bit stiff, with him. Mikey moved him to a corner of the room that had wooden crate wide enough for both of them to sit on. It was the farthest thing away from the wooden door as he possibly could get, and he figured it was the safest place for them to weather the storm.

As soon as they got settled, Mikey turned to his brother.

"Don," he said quietly, resting a hand on his shoulder. Donnie jumped slightly but didn't move away from his touch. "What's going on here? I've never seen you this freaked out before and it's starting to freak _me_ out."

He watched Donnie shut his eyes tight as a crack of thunder boomed over them. His breathing quickened and the tremors were becoming more pronounced. For a second Mikey thought Don wasn't going to answer him; that he was too afraid now to vocalize anything, but after another shaky breath Donnie turned his head slightly in acknowledgement of the question.

"Lilapsophobia," he muttered. His eyes were still closed so he didn't see the confused look on Mikey's face, but perhaps he sensed it because he continued. "Fear of storms. It's like astraphobia, something you had as a child, only it's more severe…"

"Oh," Mikey said, understanding starting to dawn on him as he flashed back to their youth, when the storms of the outside world would echo deep within the sewer, making thunder sound like a monster trying to break into their home. It had frightened him and he would always run to Splinter for comfort and protection. He couldn't recall Donnie ever doing the same. "How come I don't remember this?"

"You were always with Sensei," Donnie said, his voice strained as the howling started to grow worse. "I-I had to make do with Raph and Leo."

A memory surfaced, as clear as if it had happened yesterday: Mikey being held in Splinter's arms as he's returned to bed after a thunderstorm. He was placed down next to a lump that contained the pile of his brothers. Leo and Raph had Donnie sandwiched between them and there were distinct tear tracks on the middle turtle's face. He had been too tired to inquire about them then, but his older self didn't need an interpretation now. He suddenly realized why this was new information to him.

It was no secret that Mikey had been babied, as much as a strict ninja master would allow, and he had fully taken advantage of that. When it came to seeking comfort from Splinter, Leo would have tried to pull rank and Raph would try to use his physical dominance to overpower the "puppy-dog-eyes," but Donnie never pushed. He would have allowed Mikey anything to put him at ease if he were terrified. That was just how Donnie was.

"Oh, Donnie," Mikey said softly, pulling his brother to him and wrapping both arms around his shell. "I'm so sorry…"

"I-I didn't t-tell you to make you feel b-bad," Donnie said through clenched teeth, pressing his face into Mikey's plastron. "I was just…"

He had trailed off and it took a second for Mikey to realize why. His heart beat faster as hail hammered down onto the farmhouse and the howling winds increased in both intensity and volume.

"Oh, god, oh, god, oh, god!" Don started crying, pushing himself further into Mikey's embrace.

"How did Leo and Raph take care of you?" Mikey had to yell, because the sound outside had grown horribly loud. He cursed silently, wishing those two jerks were in here helping him (Donnie's grip had started to become painful) instead of out there in the storm, probably getting killed. He shouldn't have to be worrying about them blowing away while he had Donnie in his arms falling apart.

Donnie wouldn't, or couldn't, answer. He started sobbing unashamedly, and Mikey felt his gut turn. He thought back to what Splinter had done for him, all those years ago, and decided it was the best thing he could do at this point. So he quickly rearranged Donnie, to where he was now sitting across Mikey's lap. He kept his arms around him, holding him close, and rested his chin on top of Donnie's head. The distraught turtle stilled for a moment, uncertain, but soon started crying again and shifted slightly on Mikey's lap to get more comfortable. It wasn't that difficult. Donnie was smaller than him, after all. He started to hum a Japanese lullaby that he remembered Splinter singing to them as children and he started to rock his brother. He had only been doing it few a few seconds when he realized that he did the same thing to Mabel when she was scared. His laughter rumbled in his chest and he felt Donnie start to relax.

So he continued to hum and chuckle, pressing his hand against his brother's ear to help drown out the world falling apart outside. They stayed in this position for some uncountable minutes, and while Donnie never fully relaxed, he did finally stop crying. Mikey had been so in-tune with comforting his brother that he'd stopped paying attention to the noise outside, so he was startled slightly when he heard a loud banging at the cellar door. At first Mikey was frightened to think of what could make such a noise that it drowned out the sound of the wind outside, but then he realized there was no other sound. The rushing wind had died down, and the thunder no longer blasted. Everything appeared calm.

"Are we in the eye or something?" Mikey asked, and felt Donnie start to raise his head to answer, when they heard something being pushed into the door and lift up the bar. It landed with a thud on the ground as Mikey and Donnie tensed up again. The cellar door opened and bright sunshine filtered down, and a moment later, a pair of emerald-tone legs appeared on the steps. Mikey let out the breath he was holding in a 'whoosh' and Donnie sagged against him, trembling again.

"Raph," Donnie cried into Mikey's neck, keeping his face pressed there.

"What the shell is going on down here?" their brother's rough voice asked, taking in the two of them as he finally made it fully down the steps. "Are you guys okay?"

"Y-yeah," Mikey said, feeling his eyes well up at the sight of his brother before blinking them away. "Are you alright? Is Leo?"

At the sound of the eldest's name, a sound came from their left and Leo emerged from the shadows, having coming down the back stairs leading from the wash room.

"We're both fine," he said, looking at Donnie with concern, who was still trembling with relief.

"Okay," Mikey said on an exhale, tightening his hold on Donnie. "That's good. That's very good."

Raph and Leo simultaneously started to move closer only to be stopped by a booming voice.

"Where the shell have you two been?" Mikey yelled, instinctively placing a hand over Don's ear to protect his hearing as he vented his spleen. "Do you two know how worried and scared we were? Why the hell didn't you guys come back as soon as it looked like rain? You know Donnie has a thing about storms and you left us all alone without helping us or even preparing me to take care of him! What do you two assholes have to say for yourselves?!"

Both turtles were struck dumb by the surprising authority and ferocity behind their usually fun-loving brother's voice. It sounded like a mixture of Splinter's natural paternal power and Raph's overprotective nature. The scowl on his face made them even more taken aback and Mikey was glad to see them both shamefaced. They looked at Mikey, then at Donnie, before turning their gaze back to each other, daring the other to make the first move.

Leo broke first.

"We're sorry, guys," he said, his voice tight with disgrace. "We were so busy training we weren't paying attention. By the time we noticed the storm, it was too late."

"Yeah," Raph chimed in, looking guilty. "We tried to hurry back but by then the alarm sounded and we had to hide in a ravine."

"The tornado didn't hit too close," Leo continued. "It was a good five miles to the left of us."

Mikey continued to look at them sternly, and Donnie never lifted his head from his brother's shoulder, which caused the two turtles to gulp at each other.

"We're really sorry, guys," Raph said guiltily. "It's been a while since Donnie's had one, and we, uh," he looked at Leo for a second before turning back to their upset brothers, unable to form any more words.

"Forgot?" Mikey said sarcastically. Raph nodded, the self-disgust clear on his face.

"You're right," Leo said, his voice soothing. "We should have turned back, we shouldn't have let our training get ahead of our good judgement, and you and Donnie paid for that price." Leo moved forward, placing a gentle hand on Donnie's head and a strong grip on Mikey's shoulder in apology. "We'll make it up to you."

"Good," Mikey said, his voice gruff but more forgiving. "I had dinner started upstairs, see what you can do to salvage it."

Leo paled slightly at the thought of cooking, his one true nemesis, but quickly quailed under Mikey's stern look. He gave one last fleeting touch to both his brothers and moved back upstairs without another word. Raph looked imploring at Mikey, awaiting his own orders with surprising patience.

"Why don't you put a few blankets in the dryer to warm up? Let's get Don nice and toasty before dinner. He's had a rough day."

The older turtle gave a small growl, more perfunctory than anything else, and his face softened as he looked at the still partially hidden turtle before following Leo up the stairs.

Mikey kept his gaze on his older and stupider brothers before turning back to the one in his arms. He was still shaking, and it was starting to worry Mikey. Maybe it had been too much and he was going into shock? Don was making little noises that Mikey had thought to be sobs, so he moved his hand from around Donnie's shell and placed it at his shoulder, trying to move him back so he could see his brother's face.

As Donnie lifted his head, Mikey was surprised to see that there were no tears running down Don's cheeks and he was instead biting his lip to stop from laughing.

Donnie was laughing?

He must have had a bewildered look on his face because it broke Donnie's slim hold on composure and the turtle started laughing almost hysterically.

"Oh, my gosh, Mikey," Donnie said in a wheeze, "that was the best thing I ever heard in my life!"

After the day they had, his brother's laughter was contagious and Mikey couldn't help but start chuckling with his giggling brother. They shared a good laugh, leaning on each other equally. They allowed the nerves and the fears to sweat out of their pores and they held onto the joy that everything was going to be all right.

By the time that they had finished their laughter, Donnie had slipped himself off of his brother's lap and was leaning against him, breathless. The smile on his face was a welcome sight compared to the terror before and Mikey couldn't stop grinning if his life depended on it.

Suddenly, Donnie's presence went from leaning to embracing, his arms warm around Mikey's chest. There was a tiny sniff before Donnie spoke up.

"Thank you."

The amount of gratitude he had put into those two words warmed Mikey's heart, and he felt his cheeks redden.

"It was nothing," Mikey said with honest modesty. "It's not like you haven't done the same for me."

"I know," Don said simply. "I wanted you to know I appreciate it all the same."

Mikey nodded, understanding his brother completely. Even though they knew that they all had each other's back unconditionally, it's always nice to have the recognition at times.

He felt Donnie smile against his shoulder.

"You are an amazing father," Donnie said suddenly, quietly, after a few moments of silence. "Mabel and the new baby are so lucky."

"Aw," Mikey said, his blush intensifying. He looked down at his brother, who finally lifted his head away, and he was surprised to see the look of wistfulness that flited across his Donnie's face before he could hold it back.

It was as if a bolt of lightning from the previous storm had struck him, as understanding started to bloom. The sadness that seemed to have plagued Donnie the past few months, the looks of worry Leo would send to him when May and Mabel were around, the way his geeky brother would drop everything when Mabel acquired his attention, even if it were just for a hug. Donnie, out of all of his brothers, devoted his time to Mikey's daughter the most, the only one who had the patience to deal with the millions of questions she had about the world and to detangle the curls on her head. Donnie had done a million and one things to help Mikey's transition into parenthood be relatively smooth, and somehow he had missed, until that moment, what it had cost his brother. The burden of his brother's unique situation was now showing its head.

Because if Donnie wanted to have kids, he couldn't just go out and find a nice girl to hook up with. Even if Donnie hadn't preferred men to women, he couldn't get it done. He just didn't have the right equipment.

Mikey forgot most of the time that his brother had been born female, and that he had chosen to transition to his preferred gender at a very young age. He loves Donnie, and it wouldn't matter to him if he wanted to be an eggplant, but obviously it was starting to cause problems now, to Donnie's own happiness. They were mutated turtles. It was impossible for him to adopt and who would they ask to be a surrogate? The only way Donnie could have a child he most desperately wanted was to conceive one himself. Right now, his options were extremely limited, and while they knew how one of their offspring would grow in a human female's womb, there were still many questions about how a half-human would grow inside a turtle, or if it were even possible.

Donnie saw the sadness that entered his brother's eyes and was quick to interpret it correctly.

"Hey," Donnie said, the smile returning in earnest. "Don't do that, none of this is your fault."

"But, Donnie," Mikey started to say, "I can't believe it's taken me this long to notice. I'm so so-"

"No!" Don's voice was filled with enough authority to stop the apology from coming out of Mikey's mouth. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You have a beautiful family. This is my problem that I'm dealing with, and the reason I didn't say anything was because I didn't want you to feel guilty or think that I begrudged you of your happiness."

"But I want _you_ to be happy," Mikey said quietly, rubbing his hand up and down Donnie's arm in comfort. "I can't stand it when you're sad. And I feel like I'm at least partially to blame."

"I am happy, Mike." Don grinned at him, and if the edges of his eyes were a little watery, Mikey knew better than to mention it. "I'm very happy. For you, and May, and Mabel." Don swallowed the lump in his throat. "I want kids, there is no point in denying that now I guess," he continued, looking away from Mikey for a moment and staring up at an old rusty tricycle that was hanging from the roof. "But maybe it's just not in the cards for me. I'll learn to accept it, like I've come to accept other things." Donnie didn't list them, because he didn't need to. Mikey knew them all by heart. The lifestyle they lived, the forced secrecy, the fighting that sometimes tore at Don's gentle and peaceable heart, the forced isolation from society, and the fact that Donnie was a genius unable to learn in a public setting or share his brilliance with others. "I guess I can settle with being an uncle to your hooligans."

There was a finality in Don's voice that told Mikey to not pursue it further, at least for the time being. So he just smiled. "The best uncle."

The grin on Donnie's face was equal parts proud and bashful and it warmed Mikey's heart. He gave his brother one last hug before standing and pulling Donnie up with him. Don was a bit wobbly on his feet; it was quite obvious he was still feeling the effects of his panic attack earlier and Mikey wasn't about to let go of him anytime soon. He led Donnie up the stairs, through the back of the house, into the living room and sat him down on the sofa. From there, they could smell the food Leo was cooking and hear the dryer tumbling with warm blankets. They sat there in relative silence, comfortable in each other's presence and from having their brothers nearby after the scare they had had earlier.

A short time later their wayward brothers joined them, Raph bearing warm blankets that were wrapped generously around both Donnie and Mikey, and Leo bringing hot stew. They all sat jammed together on the sofa, elbows and knees knocking joyfully against each other as they ate and laughed the strain away. The warmth of Donnie's cheeks as Leo and Raph teased him about how fast he ate his food could only bring a smile to Mikey's face.

Together, he thought, together they could weather any storm that came at them, even the ones that seemed impossible.

-o-

AN2: Just so you know, I suffer from what Donnie has in this story. I literally stop breathing when I see lightning. I actually got the idea for this because about two weeks ago while at work we had a severe tornado warning which included the black clouds and hail, so I drew my experience from that.


End file.
